IT'S NEVER TOO LATE

A series of essays....

WHEN THE SUN BOLDLY DIPS INTO THE SEA....
WE WILL REMEMBER TO TURN AND SEE IT MAJESTICALLY
RISE ABOVE THE MOUNTAINS! IT'S NEVER
TOO LATE TO BELIEVE...

....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E Hughes

It’s never too late to believe. Apathy is not an option. When you’ve reached the bottom, looking up is the only way to go. The basic philosophy of optimism is the doctrine of the ultimate triumph of good over evil. Are you in or are you out? Change for the better will always be an option when fear is, finally, removed. Have brazen acts of corruption got you down?

With an Impeachment Inquiry finally initiated and Nancy Pelosi’s blessing stamped on their foreheads, the Congressional Committees are gearing-up for some very serious action and looking for results of their efforts before the holiday season of 2019. Adam Schiff, Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, has been a vocal advocate for digging into the highly corrupt actions of ‘45’ long before the Democrats won the majority of the House in 2018. He must be hitting a nerve when ‘45’ is flagging him for treason and removal from Congress.

It’s never too late to learn and to change. Weeding out the corrupt and miserable will require imminent changes to be made with new laws to be formulated, written-up, and executed. We must learn from our ill-founded assumptions of the past...when we naively believed that all presidents (leaders) would follow the unwritten (written) rules and always do and say the right thing. That they were without personal agendas and would serve the people unselfishly and with honor. Like well adjusted adults, we must consider all personal and public aspects about whom we place in positions of power in the future. We will become diligent to a fault. The pendulum will swing from one side to the other until it settles, once again, close enough to the middle to make us feel sufficiently comfortable, adequately safe.

We have been scarred and the lasting effect of fear and other raw emotions will haunt us for a very long time. We have been scared to death by an individual, claiming to be a good businessman and leader, who threatens us with Civil War and such divisiveness that it’s often difficult to think, let alone function normally. He may be an ignorant man with few intellectual words spliced together to form one, cohesive thought, but even these few words have a way of influencing actions, especially among those who find him entertaining and quite different from the stereotypical politician. Physically removing him from the White House may, literally, be one of our biggest challenges yet. 

Apathy is never an option when it comes to life threatening situations. Not voting is one of the keenest forms of apathy. Believing that your single vote makes no difference in the outcome of an election can be a fatal mistake. We must not become the missing link that threatens the strength of our democracy as a whole and undermines the power of positive progression. Our voices must and will be heard. Voting, even in the shadow of gerrymandering, corruption, and fear, is our right as citizens of the United States. We must never forget this.

It’s never too late to believe in the power of appropriate thinking. Remember, what we may perceive as weakness may actually be the greater production of accomplishing goals in the proper manner...following the laws established within the Constitution itself and making them work by and for the people. 

Please remember the lawmakers who have had to fight furiously for our rights mainly because they believe in them and choose to represent us daily in Washington D.C. as our Congressmen and Senators elected by us in order to maintain these rights. They were there fighting for us even when they had no power to fight with within all three branches of government. May we learn to appreciate the men and women who have been working diligently for so long.

Now that the dirty politics of a corrupt administration is being forced to face the music and the ringleader is under microscopic scrutiny while undergoing an impeachment inquiry, we shall see how far his self-aggrandizement style takes ‘45’ on this particular journey! 

It’s never too late to hope for the best. This country has been hit with the worst kind of plague: human greed and corruption. Let’s pick ourselves up by the boot straps, work hard, and believe in the system. Our Forefathers fought to save democracy from the possibility of having maniacs serve  in the White House. It will never be too late to have the likes of Adam Schiff, Jerry Nadler, Maxine Waters, and Elijah Cummings prove the power of the strong democratic and constitutional foundation by which our nation was built upon.

Copyright © 2019 by Jacqueline E Hughes

All rights reserved

Photo Copyright © 2019 by Jacqueline E Hughes

All rights reserved

BOOK REVIEW: Alarm Clock Dawn

A Book Review.......

Books....Books....Books.....and, Even More Books, Please!!!!!

.......as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E. Hughes

Occasionally, within your busy, daily life, you unexpectedly run across something that turns your head, makes you think and helps solidify that what you and many others do is nothing short of......well, impressive!!!

When I began to write many years ago, it was a time decidedly punctuated by a lifestyle rife with reading as many books, classic and modern, fiction and non-fiction, as I could get my hands on.  My passion, my future was 'written in stone' around the age of ten and I have been quite comfortable ever since.  Life (marriage, children and work) intermingled with my writing and time certainly carried me away upon its illusive wings until our youngest, Corinne, began her freshman year of college at Michigan State University in 1997.  We had become 'empty nesters' at the ripe, young age of forty-six and my life changed in so many ways. 

Dan obtained a job with a multi-family building company out of Altamonte Springs, Florida, and moved down to the Orlando area about one year before I followed him.  This allowed me time to tie-up loose ends at my current position, as well as see Corinne through her first year of college....something I felt quite strongly about.

Even though I now 'lived in paradise,' I continued to work outside of our home.  However, my passion for writing, finally, had time and space to blossom into a feasible desire to be published one day.  Becoming a freelance writer afforded me the chance to hone my craft even more and, with a travel article published in the local paper, the Orlando Sentinel, travel writing seriously appealed to me....Big Time!

Social Media soon followed and I was addicted to it as my 'drug of choice.'  Among Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Tumblr, to name a few, I have not only initiated and shared my weekly blog, Moving On...2014, but the greatest perk through all of this has been the opportunity to meet so many beautiful people throughout the world, become friends and discover their talent and passions, as well.  Hence, my addiction....

Today, I am taking yet another giant leap within this amazing, colorful world via social media.  Because the talent (out there) beyond cyberspace and into the daily life of many gifted people is so prevalent, it deserves recognition on so many levels.  Authors, photographers, painters and sculptors....just to name a few.  People with day jobs, hopes and dreams, families and aspirations of being able to share their talents with others; entertain the masses.

Upon meeting Eric Vance Walton via Twitter and Facebook, I  familiarized myself with his writing and decided I had to showcase his work and give more people the chance to become captivated, as I was, by his debut novel.  Eric, you are my first author reviewed but, I guarantee you have set a precedence here at Moving On that I am so proud to be a part of.... and will be for a long, long time!!
  
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BOOK REVIEW: "Alarm Clock Dawn" by Eric Vance Walton


Alarm Clock Dawn, a brilliant debut novel by author Eric Vance Walton, is a chilling foreshadowing of the possibilities all of us might be facing if our paths continue to lead us through the controlled darkness and corruption of Corporate greed and the continued annihilation of the so-called Middle Class.

Power mixed with Idealism can be a lethal combination when applied to Johann Pfizer.  As CEO of XenTek, a leader in futuristic technology, Johann based his corporate success upon Middle Class consumerism with the constant desire to live competitively on the 'cutting-edge.'  By dictating for decades what he feels the consumer needs and must have, XenTek and Johann Pfizer have locked into the individual greed of mankind while creating depersonalized human robots and declassifying the art of individual thinking.

Adam Harkin, an employee at XenTek, while intelligent and carrying high degrees within his qualified resume, had become just another 'number' as he was plied with material rewards and impressive job titles.  (The more money you made the higher line of credit you enjoyed.)  When Adam left work each night heading for his sterile cubicle called 'home,' he was becoming more aware of his lofty consumer status as his number, based on his credit score, allowed
him privileges well beyond those with much lower scores.  Your status within society was color-coded depending on your credit and displayed on an identification card that must be carried at all times.  Adam knew his 'green' card reflected his exclusive lifestyle, just as he was more aware of the everyday souls whose lower credit line deprived them of looking forward to brighter futures and only allowed them to solely concentrate on maintaining their current lifestyle...as if, even this was possible.

Adam, becoming more disillusioned by the inequality of life around him, realizes that the time required to maintain his own 'green' credit status has left him alone and lonely.  His life is punctuated by routine and habit with little or no time for pleasure or the simple joy of laughter.

With opposition groups forming and others being enlightened by the possibilities of a better, more wholesome life, devoid of corporate control and the rising financial gulf between the world run by XenTek and the majority of people classified by conventional values and conservative attitudes, Adam fears for his own future.  He was growing tired of his puppet-like life of rising at dawn when his alarm dictated he must, in order to begin this charade all over again.  

With Johann Pfizer planning to disrupt the delicate balance of the world once again by introducing his latest scheme to try to control it, Adam's recent promotion within XenTek presents him with the 'dark side' of his company's corporate image along with the absolute disregard for all life, in general, falling below CEO status.  Adam's desire for change opens his heart to the possibilities beyond the walls of the city, to the people and camps continually filling-up with others disillusioned and hampered by greed and power.  He soon learns how these camps are comprised of seekers of freedom and truth!

Even though I, as a reader, quickly realized what a 'page-turner' Alarm Clock Dawn turned out to be and, how fascinated I'd become in finding out the ultimate plight of Adam Harkin and the fate of humanity, so many things about this novel intrigued my imagination and prompted me to savor their many nuances that had become unique segues throughout the book.  Like an intricately decorated, multi-tiered cake, Eric Vance Walton was able to fill each delicious layer with suspense, intrigue, understanding of spirituality, as well as his ideal use of images and indirect suggestions.

Eric Vance Walton, a renowned, published poet in his own right, has astutely enhanced his storyline by supplying us with ample poetry interspersed throughout his novel.  Not only do these wonderful, original poems offer insight and add continuity to the plot, they serve to blend various dimensions of each character into a human, artistic form and balance them within the storyline.

The harsh realty of this brilliant debut novel is uncomfortably familiar to all of us.  By the end of the book I wanted to scream wildly at the greed and stupidity of mankind.  Why do some people enjoy and respect the natural beauty God has lovingly bestowed upon all of us while others treat mankind and nature as expendable commodities?

If you are looking for a poignant read that is well written and includes a monumental "twist" at the very end....then, Alarm Clock Dawn should be placed on your e-book library shelf or personal bookshelf at home as soon as possible.  Is it ever too late to help change the direction our world is headed in for a better one?  This novel may encourage this change before it is too late for all of us.

I have heard that this project is the initial part of a trilogy and, after reading Book I, can only hope that Book II will be just around the corner.

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Author Bio provided by Eric Vance Walton:

Eric Vance Walton is a novelist, author and poet with a writing career spanning nearly two decades.  He has published several books in different genres and has won several awards for his work including the "James Thurber Treat Prize".  Alarm Clock Dawn is Eric's debut novel.


Facebook Author Spotlight Link:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Eric-Vance-Walton/320090161436012


 Lulu Author Spotlight Link:

http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/ericvancewalton


 Author Website Link:

http://ericvancewalton.wordpress.com/